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Forbes Ranks UT in Top 20 Places to Work in Higher Education

Forbes magazine has ranked UT among the top 20 places to work in higher education in the United States, according to its 2016 America’s Best Employers list.

UT placed eighty-third among all businesses across twenty-five industries and is the first Southeastern Conference school on the list, which extends to 500 employers. The University of Florida placed ninetieth.

“To make a list such as this is noteworthy enough, but to be ranked ahead of a number of peer institutions and world-renowned businesses shows the kind of workforce and atmosphere we have here at UT,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “We know our faculty and staff are what make working at UT such a special experience, and this is also a recognition of their efforts toward our continued success.”

Marathon Petroleum, Google, and Costco topped the list, which was based on questions asked to 30,000 employees at various businesses across the United States with more than 5,000 employees.

The survey asked those employees to rate how likely they would be to recommend their employer on a scale of zero to ten and how they viewed other businesses or institutions in their same field. The magazine noted that it contacted employees anonymously to avoid any influence by their employers that might throw off the rankings.

Forbes worked with online statistics provider Statistica on the project.

UT finished one spot behind Whole Foods and one ahead of chemical giant BASF. Others finishing behind UT include such well-regarded businesses and institutions as Cedars-Sinai Health System (eighty-seven), Microsoft (109), PayPal (205), Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (261), Coca-Cola (334), and Oracle, which rounded out the list at 500.

Other Knoxville-area businesses to make the list included DENSO (214) and Clayton Homes (292).